KTM Did Not lobby the AMA to try to change the capacity rules.
THough I doubt they would stand against a 350 limit , now that they have the jump on other manufacturers.
It's, I feel, just an extension / distortion / Chinese whispers coming from how Steve Whitlock talked about how the horse had bolted with regards to capacity rules (I think , several times, he was quoted as saying it should have been something like 200cc 4ts / 125cc 2ts, and, 350/400 4ts vs 250 2ts.
The major companies had put their efforts into 250 and 450s - the major companies basically said no.
Lluongo (with , I think, a bit of advice from Whitlock) tried to put up a reduction from 450 to 350, approx 3 years ago. As I said, the major companies, with so much invested, And, for once, with common sense, said no. The argument that it is for safety is spurious at best. You can get hurt on any sized bike. 450s are not evil machines - either were 500s, but the 450s are definitely more usable for the average Joe, through to the fastest rider in the world. Modern 2ts will be, perhaps, even more usable than any 350 /450 4t.
Whitlock is still around and a power within the FIM and the sport , in general - he was at Phillip Island World Superbikes, dealing with tech matters recently.
Lluongo and his cohorts are the Svengali's of MX - he and the various companies he's been involved with have been behind the various rule changes / format changes etc of World MX. All along making vast amounts of money, while trashing the sport. I don't give a damn about the fancy pits , 18 wheelers, sponsor hospitality suites etc that he, and some others claim have improved the sport. They all would have come naturally, with the 'blinging' of society / all sports, that has been a natural progression. TV / internet coverage would still have happened. The crowds, and comparative exposure of the sport, really hasn't risen much, if at all, when compared to what it was 30 years ago. Like all sports, it has just got more glitzy. Look at videos of GPs of earlier eras - dependent on the country, the crowds were massive, there were more riders able to make a living at racing, and general societies recognition of MX was just the same as it is now, other than the rise of SX - the 'dog and pony' side of our sport.
Lloungo has been quoted as wanting to bring the starting gates at GPs down to 20, and probably has in mind that there will be only one GP class. It's all about making money for him, no matter what he says about loving the sport. Most anyone would 'love' the sport they have so much control over, that makes them so much money, and gives them so much power. A world championship sport that has NO prize money, on the argument that it's being put back into the sport - he's really got things worked out.
The KTM 350, is a good thing - it fits between the 250 and 450, and is representative of how KTM goes for as many niches as they can. The Real sales from the 350 will come from the Off Road world - they will sell so many to the average bloke.
Rant over. You may have noticed I'm p****d off at what's happened to our sport, largely under the auspices of Lluongo
